June 2023 | Volume 31 | No. 6 CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 6 NEAT-O! Control4 backbone, Kordz infrastructure help elevate ultramodern 'Down Under' home. 30 COVER STORY CE PROFILE: Building Cultured Success 30 How Chris Sterle took $63 in his wallet and grew family-friendly $8.5 million juggernaut with brilliant homebuilder relationships. by Jason Knott 36 dive 60 Industry's Elite Integrators Ride High-Performance Tide The annual CE Pro 100 Brand Analysis shows custom industryfocused companies gaining market share on big mainstream consumer names. by Arlen Schweiger & Robert Archer Brand Leader 2023 10 Deep Dive: Multifamily Properties Offer Major Appeal CE Pro's first-ever MDU Deep Dive reveals broad opportunities at the developer/property manager level as well as with upgrades for individual buyers/tenants. by Jason Knott VIEW POINTS FROM THE EDITOR 4 A fond farewell to CE Pro By Jason Knott HDMI CORNER 24 Mining Golden Samples By DPL Labs 60 2 | CE Pro June 2023 FIELD TEST 74 Sony's STR-AZ5000ES AV receiver By Robert Archer Acoustic Design Systems in Las Vegas and St. George, Utah, into an 10 INDUSTRY PULSE Emerald Promotes Veteran Schweiger to CE Pro Editorin-Chief D-Tools Adds Knott to Data Solutions Group Crestron Names Clancy Chief Sales Officer PR Rep Stanton Passes Away 14 WELLSCAPES Industry Leaders Team on Utah Wellness Community 16 AUDIO+VIDEO McIntosh, Sonus faber Enter Marine Market madVR Debuts Next-Gen Processors PAC Promotes Standley to President of Tech & Product Bose Sells Pro Division 20 NETWORKING+ HOME CONTROL Savant Debuts Smart Network Samsung SmartThings Assists Users with Lost Devices Somfy Rolls Out Zigbee 3.0 Motors Security Corner 26 LIGHTING NEW! European Circadian Lighting Startup Kumux Gets More Funding Q&A: Jennifer Kirkpatrick, American Lighting 70 CHANNEL Azione Members Spring into 2023 Initiatives UK Integrator to Ride for Charity ProSource Names Crowley as District Manager PureTech Alliance Picks Up eero 76 PRODUCTS 80 BY THE NUMBERS InfoComm 2023 cepro.comhttp://70 http://www.cepro.com